Of Guilt and Peace
by broken.ningyo
Summary: [Persona 3 FES: Episode Aegis] He regrets slightly leaving them behind, but could not resist the call of eternal peace. And thus, he could only watch as they fell apart without him.


BE FOREWARNED: PERSONA 3 FES [EPISODE AEGIS SPOILERS ARE FLOATING AROUND.

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona 3 FES. It's owned by Atlus, bla bla bla.

Protagonist's name: Hidetoshi Aoki.

* * *

Peace.

The constant feeling of needing sleep had been a more alluring call each time it beckoned. Part of him yearned for it; yet part of him did not. He, too, had forgotten about the rest of the S.E.E.S. members, until the February the 14th, 2010.

"_Hey, Aoki-kun.. After we defeated Nyx, can we go on a date on Valentine's?"_

That line alone had sent the rest of his memories back in his face. How he had first arrived in Iwatodai, how he had first met the S.E.E.S. members, how he had endured the challenges against Shadows and the Dark Hour, how he had laughed and frowned protectively over his comrades.

How he danced through the hallways of death.

How he had survived it all.

_No_, Hidetoshi Aoki thought dimly. He would not survive it. Already, he had been losing himself occasionally; had been having troubles grasping the reality. He knew he had to go on, however. To see them for the last time before he left on Graduation Day.

On that day, peace settled over his soul like a welcoming blanket on a dark, winter night. Never before he had felt so at peace; feeling so accomplished. He had saved the world from the destruction, for now, and spared his comrade's lives. They would live on. Sooner or later, he would be nothing but some faded memory.

He was wrong, however.

His veil of peace was constantly interrupted and infiltrated; mostly from wails and cries of despair. Despair for him, despair to reach him. Or perhaps, the despair to reach for Nyx. The human psyche was definitely amazing. Within the darkest corners of one's heart, one hides their true selves, and kept the masks that they will bring out when facing different people or situations. Despair and hope are the two key words that drive humans to a new goal, and do not stop after achieving it. Instead of feeling satisfied, they yearn for more accomplishments, more rewards.

When humans make mistakes, we blame on others. We destroy nature, stating that it was the sake of mankind. We poach and hunt animals, seeking not food. We turned our heads from the gods, thinking of Science as the new god. Old religion and mindset were forgotten, to be replaced by more practical ones. Materialism now is the most important criteria. Humans constantly seek for their very own destruction by yearning for more, beyond their limits. Such was what we called 'freedom'.

While he had slept, he had understood the concept; and his need to prevent them from seeking their own destruction. His powers existed to prevent that from happening. He cannot, however, change their mindsets.

So he could only look on as the S.E.E.S. fell apart without him.

He read through their problems, their thoughts, their feelings like a book. While each and every one of them are unique, they all yearned for him to return. That thought alone locked him away from his eternal peace. Being Persona users, their willpower is strong; the power of the bond that had been woven together by his hands alone. Their innocent wish had trapped them in the time loop, roughly three weeks after he left. However, that was all he could see before part of him felt torn off to merge with a Shadow. The abomination they created.

As they wandered and explored through the sands and doors of the unknown realm beneath the dorm, the abomination had ran around, sometimes right in front of them, to leave behind strong Shadows to eliminate them. Again and again they survived, and the abomination kept on repeating his activity cycle. When they finally found the door that had revealed to them how the time loop was formed, the monster that looked like him pounced on them.

He could only watch as his comrades stared in disbelief at the shadow. The shadow had inherited most of their Persona and skills from their lingering thoughts; perhaps the ultimate unison of the full potential of the S.E.E.S. squad. It danced, slashed, and summoned Athena; duck, spurted, and reached for Aegis; blocked, dodged, and avoided her black android twin. The one that finally brought it down into submission was the woman Aoki had never got the chance to apologize to.

Yukari Takeba.

As the abomination slowly disintegrates, Aoki saw a gap that he could go through, even for only a short while. And so, he took the full advantage of it.

He gave them a smile.

The warm smile they all remember; the warm smile he remembered giving to them.

He didn't care whether they saw it or not; what's important to him was that he delivered it. Peace once again filled whatever that was left of himself. Aegis will later find the needle and strings he had left for whoever who was next to lead all of them, and bring them together once more. The conflict they shall be having.. will not last long.

With that, he tightened the barrier of peace around him, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *


End file.
